Chef John's Creme Fraiche

"Making creme fraiche is very easy and, once you taste the magic of homemade sour cream, you'll have a hard time not repeating this esoteric exercise. Sure it takes a couple days, but the effort is minimal and the payoff is marvelous."

Footnotes

Chef's Note:

Be sure to use the best, freshest cream you can find. Look for pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized heavy whipping cream. Make sure to use cultured buttermilk, otherwise you will wait a full day to see nothing happen.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jul 02, 2012

This is a marvelous recipe! I could put it on almost any food in my fridge! I found the correct cream at Trader Joe's, an organic one, and my buttermilk was by Knudsen. I was just going to make a half a batch but went for the whole thing. Am I ever glad! This is better than sour cream! Creme Fraiche doesn't have the same holding power of sour cream as far as consistency goes, and it's not quite as sour. But delicious it is! I highly recommend that you try this! Thank you, Chef John!

Ultra-pasteurized heavy whipping cream works just fine. I use it exclusively and it has never failed to make great Creme Fraiche. Don't waste your time looking for pasteurized. I use Ball canning jars to make this great sour cream in and will never buy another plastic tub of it.

The crème fraiche was made exactly as written, and used in conjunction with Chef John's Classic Beef Stroganoff recipe. We used pasteurized cream, and found it at Whole Foods. One cautionary note . . . pasteurized cream has a fairly short shelf life so the crème fraiche will not last long in the fridge IF any is leftover. This added a special finishing touch to the beef stroganoff and so easy to make. Thank you, Chef John.

I let it sit on the top of my espresso machine or the top of my refrigerator. It is always warmer in those areas and it just works better than leaving it on the counter top. Maybe I just keep the house a little too cool? LOL

If you haven't used sweetened whipped creme fraiche in place of whipped cream, you're missing the best dessert topping of your life! I lost my source of creme fraiche (TJ's) when we moved to Tampa. Thanks, Chef John, for showing me how to make it at home.

We really loved this! It has become something we just do any time the heavy cream has been sitting a few days and needs to be put to use. It is so delicious and family have been taking it home with them whenever there is extra.

This is terrific! I used ultra-pasteurized cream as that is all I could find, and it worked just fine. This was pretty cool to make, and who knew it was so easy?! I used it to make Creme Caramel and BLT Pasta, both also Chef John's recipes, and both are truly amazing. Thank you, Chef John- you continue to make me look like a culinary genius :)

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.